To keep you safe
by Robin Hood reader
Summary: Marian doesn't die in S2E13 and returns to Nottingham from the Holy Land. She visits Guy at Locksley Manor, and they have an interesting conversation. There is an unexpected twist here.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Guy lay on a wide mahogany bed in the master bedroom at Locksley Manor. He looked in the ceiling of the room, then sighed and closed his eyes. He was tired, tired beyond any measure. His face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, the influence of strong emotion he had felt after his return from the Holy Land.

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. His expression turned detached, his body stiffened, his head strangely empty; he felt like coarse creatures with dark, unfathomable minds. His surroundings seemed foreign and alienating. He was on the verge of getting up and leaving the room and the house, which he used to call his after Robin of Locksley, known as Robin Hood, had been outlawed. Now he no longer felt comfortable in his house, Locksley's house as he referred to it in his mind.

He was shocked with the recent trip to the Holy Land. He hoped he would kill King Richard and marry Marian upon his return to Nottingham because Robin Hood was dead and there was nobody to distract him from his mission. But everything went terribly wrong. King Richard was alive, he had no power and was still dependable on the grace of the Sheriff; Marian was not his wife and didn't love him. The only positive thing he achieved was Robin Hood's death, for he accidentally killed Robin who jumped in front of his blade as he meant to kill Marian for the betrayal of his love for her and for all her lies.

"Marian… where are you?" Guy whispered to himself.

Guy heard the soft flick of cloak against clothing, the slow footsteps a cautious intruder. He felt Marian's presence in the room, but persuaded himself that his mind was playing tricks with him.

"I am here, Guy," Marian's voice resonated.

Guy's eyes shot open and he sat up in the bed so quickly that his back clicked. He stared in the emptiness of the room, his eyes examining his surroundings. He blinked, his vision blurred. His face was as white as death itself, for he saw Marian standing near the bed, her blue eyes blazing with fire.

"How have you come here?" Guy shouted. "Why are you here? Do you want to tell me that you love him?"

"I came here to talk. I think there's been enough pretending," Marian said quietly.

He jumped to his feet. "I didn't pretend! I said the truth – that I wanted to take care of you and that I love you. You pretended that you loved me! You played with me! You used my feelings for you!"

Marian said nothing, only held his gaze. She shook her head in disappointment. "I thought that you can be a good man. I wanted you to change and turn against the Sheriff." Her face contorted in anger. "But instead you tried to kill the King and then almost killed me."

Guy laughed bitterly. "But I didn't kill you."

"You almost did." She looked as though she would spit in his face.

"Why did you love Robin Hood?" He sounded desperate, his voice edged with sorrow. "I loved you so much! I could have loved you more than any other man! I could have given you myself! But you…"

"I betrayed you," Marian finished for him, tonelessly.

"You betrayed me many times. I wanted to save and protect you, but you–"

She cut him off sharply. "And for that you meant to kill me," she said coldly.

Guy looked straight into her eyes; his gaze was not cruel. "I didn't want to kill you. It was an accident. I only wanted to make you silent." He hung his head. "I could not listen that you loved Robin Hood."

"Accident?" Marian scoffed. "You looked very determined in your actions."

He was looking at his boots. "But you are alive."

"I am," she said expressionlessly.

Guy turned his gaze to her. "And you are free now?"

She laughed at him. "How do you think?"

"He is dead. So you are free," he told her, his face blank, but his heart hammering harder and harder at the thought that she was without Hood and he perhaps had a chance.

"And you wish to marry me?" Her voice was edged with contempt.

"I think we can be happy now," Guy said quietly. "Hood… he manipulated you… he seduced you with his sweet words about justice and peace… about this weak King Richard who is the reason of England's misery."

Marian shook her head in denial. "Robin didn't seduce me. I loved him for many years, when he was away and when he came here and was outlawed. We were betrothed since childhood."

"He didn't deserve you! He was nothing and nobody! He was a mere thief and a knave! He was a hypocrite!" Guy protested, his fists clenched, his blue eyes darkened with rage.

"Robin deserved me," Marian interrupted him. "He is a good man, one of the best in the world."

An oppressive silence stretched between them, long and agonizing.

"He loved the King and England, not you."

"Robin is alive," Marian said sharply.

Guy jerked his head and stared at her in disbelief. He felt numbness overcoming him, his heart was hollow. "Alive? But… but…"

"He survived," Marian informed.

"But his wound was grave…" He stammered. He didn't want to believe her.

"Robin barely survived," she continued in a cool tone. "He was very sick for a long time. He had high fever and infection, which nearly killed him." Her eyes narrowed in anger. "He struggled for every breath for many, many weeks, and I prayed that he would recover." She smiled. "And he did."

"Congratulations." He took a breath, a deep steadying breath.

"People usually die from such wounds, but Robin's life was spared," Marian said, eyes hard on his again. "King Richard said that this is reward for Robin's bravery."

He cursed under his breath. "And how is Hood doing now?"

"You are really interested, Guy of Gisborne?" Marian hissed like a serpent hissing before attacking its victim. "It was a mortal wound. He survived by miracle and God's will."

"God would be fair and just if Hood died at my hand!" Guy screamed.

"Shut up, Gisborne."

"Or what?" He teased her.

"Just don't test my patience," she warned. Her face had a tormented expression for a moment before turning blank. "Quite a long time will pass before Robin will be the same man, for Robin is still not as strong as he used to be. He needs much time to recuperate."

Guy ground his teeth. "Then your lover is a lucky man."

Marian flashed a bright smile. "Robin is not my lover. He is my husband."

His eyes turned wider. "What?"

The charming, happy smile lit her face. "We exchanged marriage vows when he lay dying… when we thought that he was dying." She let out a small laugh. "And then we wanted to bury him and Carter, but we realized that he was breathing. It was the happiest moment in my life."

He began pacing the room. "Did you come here to tell me that you are happy? What do you want me to say?" He stopped and stared at her, his eyes stormy with anger. "Or do you want me to wish you all the best in your marriage to this outlaw?" He sneered. "A happy, long life and a brood of children?"

"No," she said briefly, her voice colder and sharper. "I only wanted you to know that Robin is alive and that you didn't manage to ruin my happiness."

"You said that. Are you satisfied?" he hissed.

"No," she uttered in a voice that resembled silken murmur.

"What do you want?" He stared at her, confused.

Marian gave him a fierce glare. "I want to keep Robin and myself safe," she hissed. "You almost killed Robin and me. You claimed you loved me, but you don't know what love is."

"I loved you, Marian! And I still love you!" Guy screamed. "You betrayed my love!"

"I was at crossroads. I had to help people and Robin, for what they are doing is right."

"You never thought that your lies hurt me! You ruined me and broke my heart!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And you ruined lives of many other people."

"I don't care about others!" Guy roared. "You lied to me, not any other man! You lied to me!"

Throughout all that time, Marian was holding her hands behind her back, and he didn't see a Saracen recurved bow clasped in her arms. Suddenly, she swiftly stepped backwards and brought her hands forward, a bow in her arms. Her eyes blazing in determination and anger, Marian aimed straight at Guy's chest, preparing to shoot an arrow.

"I told you that I want to keep Robin and myself safe," Marian announced, her mouth set in hard lines. "I didn't let Robin kill you in the forest and on other occasions, but now I see that I did a wrong thing."

"Bravado!" He laughed at her. He didn't believe that she would shoot him.

"Whatever you want, Guy of Gisborne," she parried, her face contorted in anger and disgust. "What is your love for me if you wanted to kill me but accidentally wounded Robin? Your love is love only in your imagination. You don't know what love is."

He made a step forward. "Give it to me," he said, showing at bow in her arms.

"This is Robin's bow." Marian smiled heartily, her voice gentle at the name of her husband. "I practiced shooting from this bow for many months while Robin was sick. And I will kill you from his bow because this is exactly what you deserve. Believe me that I won't miss."

"You will not kill me," he said with an impudent sneer, but there was a tremble in his voice.

"I have to," Marian contradicted, her face revealing sheer determination. "The King is still in the Holy Land, signing the peace treaty with Saladin. Until he comes, I want Robin and myself safe."

"You won't kill me," he replied hesitantly.

She gave a laugh, full of disdain towards him. "Oh, believe me, I will kill you."

Her face impassive but her eyes hard and focused, Marian nocked an arrow which wounded Guy in his chest. He didn't have time to step aside as an arrow struck him in his chest, penetrating his lungs.

"Marian… Marian…" Guy murmured, gasping for air; blood filled his mouth and he coughed.

"I told you that I would kill you," she said harshly.

He staggered backwards and tumbled to his knees. "Marian…" He raised his eyes to her. "Why?"

"For Robin and for myself," Marian responded flatly. She felt shiver running down her spine. "For King Richard whom you almost killed in Acre two years ago when Robin stopped you."

Gathering her strengths and grounding her teeth, she fired another arrow, this time in his neck. He fell on the floor, arrow protruding out of his neck and his chest. His eyes widened in horror at what had just happened, his heart beating slower and slower.

"For my father," she whispered.

"Marian," he murmured. He coughed again, and then his gaze went steady and fixed in one point. He dragged an agonizing breath, and shut his eyes.

Marian came to him and eyed his corpse. Guy was dead. She killed him.

She leaned down and, with an effort, drew out two arrows from Guy's body. She didn't want to leave them in the Locksley Manor as evidence against Robin, for she used Robin's bow. Nobody knew that Robin survived, except his gang and her, Marian, and they wished to keep it that way for many more months. Robin had to recover and recuperate, in safety and peace, in his beloved forest. And then the King will return to England, they will defeat the Sheriff and they will be allowed to go back to the Locksley Manor.

Marian cast a quick glance at Guy's body and walked to the window. She climbed to the window-ledge and jumped down, heading to the forest, to Robin and her friends. She wasn't happy with what she had done; her heart screamed that she had committed a murder. But Robin was safe now; she was safe from Guy. She could have spent all her days with her beloved Robin, taking care of him and helping him to recover. Everything will be alright now.

* * *

I love the concept that Marian kills Guy to make her life and Robin's life safe. If Guy had so grievously wounded Robin that he had barely survived, then it was the second time when Guy had almost killed Robin. As a clever, compassionate, and kind lady who loves Robin with all her heart, Marian losses her last respect for Guy and gives up on him as a man who can atone for his sins.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The bright light faded from the sky, and the darkness descended upon Sherwood Forest when Marian returned to the outlaws camp in the forest. From the deeper recesses of the forest the strange whispering sounds of the nighttime came to the ear; all else was silent, saving only for the rattling of Marian's footsteps amid the crisp, dry leaves of the last winter. The forest bathed in the pale moonlight.

She looked around, thinking where Robin was at that moment and hoping that her husband didn't try to engage himself into any sort of mischief or physical activity while she had a meeting with Gisborne. She wondered whether someone had already noticed how long she had been absent; she spent more than two hours waiting a good moment to sneak into the Locksley Manor undetected by Guy's guards and then have her conversation with Guy.

The outlaws were having a late dinner, cooked by Much together with Djaq. The great fire was burning near the camp, throwing a red glow on all around. At the fire were roasting juicy steaks of venison, pheasants, capons, and fresh fish from the river. All the air was filled with the sweet smell of good things cooking. It was already a late autumn when they came back from the Holy Land, so that they had no good opportunity to fill the stores fool and prepare for the upcoming winter; unfortunately, they had very little food to give to the people and even leave something for themselves, and only King Richard's money was their salvation in the upcoming weeks.

The clatter of many voices, jesting and laughing and talking, sounded around Marian, and the red light of the fire shining on their faces and in their eyes. Allan was telling many stories about the time when he was a thief in the streets and taverns, and those stories were outrageous but merry and funny, so that they laughed. The outlaws were in elevated spirits in the light of their recent return home and the improving health of their leader. Marian's arrival at the camp silenced the outlaws.

"Marian, where have you been? We were so worried about you," Much said anxiously. "You said that you would go to Sir Edward's grave and then come back. But you were not there."

At Much's words, everyone turned their gazes at Marian.

Allan eyed Marian; she was unnaturally pale, and her breathing was labored, as if she were running back to the camp. "Are you alright, Maz? Do you need something?"

Marian nodded. "Allan, I am alright." Her gaze slid to Much. "Much, how do you know that I didn't go to my father's grave? Were you following me?" Her tone was almost insulting.

Much frowned. "Marian, nobody knows what can happen now when we are back in Sherwood and Gisborne and the Sheriff still have power. We must be very careful until the King's return."

"I was careful when I was gone," Marian fired back.

"But we didn't know where you went, Marian," Much parried, his face revealing lines of worry near his mouth and on his forehead. He looked really tired as Marian, Djaq, and he nursed Robin back to health for many months. "You were absent for more than three hours! You left at the sunset and returned only now, when it is already dark. I came to Sir Edward's grave to check on you."

"Marian, we were really worried," Djaq said.

"Robin was restless," Little John said. He was a man of the few words, but he said something, it was always straight to the point and only something important.

The sound of Robin's name worked as a magic. Marian smiled brightly, her face aflame with delight, her sapphire eyes glowing with happiness. Then she felt her heart constricting in her chest, for she was concerned with Robin's health. She feared that his heath would be deteriorating in the aftermath of their long and difficult journey from the Holy Land, but Robin seemed to feel more or less better during the past few days, though he was very weak and slept a lot thanks to Djaq's calming draught.

When they had accidentally discovered that Robin had been alive after they had dug his grave and prepared to bury him, they had taken him to the Bassam House in the southern part of Acre, the rich district of the city. King Richard had returned to the camp and immediately sent his personal physician to Robin; despite his wound from Vaisey's arrow, the King had accompanied the man to the Bassam House, for he had needed to know the truth about Robin's chances for survival, being worried for his most loyal subject and still feeling guilty of sentencing Robin and his friends to death.

Djaq had said that Robin's chances for survival were very slim, and the King's physician had agreed with her. Bassam had invited his friend Ali, one of the most experienced healers in Acre, for he had also been shocked with the tragic events in Imuiz and hadn't wanted Robin's death. Every doctor had believed that Robin had indeed died after he had thrust the sword out of his stomach. Robin's heart had stopped beating in a regular rhythm and his breathing had also ceased. But since most tissues and vital organs could survive death for some time and the blood circulation didn't stop, it had been only a temporarily shutdown, and he had come back from the dead.

Robin's death had seemed to be inevitable for everyone, and his life had been in grave danger at first due to significant blood loss and then due to severe infection. They had had to cauterize the wound to seal the torn blood vessels. Robin had contracted high fever, tossing and turning in his bed in his fever dreams for around two months, when nobody had slept, praying for his recovery.

Marian still remembered how Robin had screamed in pain at a mere touch or a simple move, and at times howls of pain had erupted from his lips; if he hadn't been touched, he had quietly groaned in pain. But Robin had pulled through – he had opened his eyes in two months after the regicide in Imuiz, at the time when even Djaq had almost given up her hope for his survival and when only Marian and Much had stubbornly refused to admit even a single thought of Robin's death.

Marian swept her eyes over the outlaws; she raised her eyebrows quizzically. "How is Robin feeling? Did he sleep or did he try to do something?" Her tone was tense and urgent.

Djaq regarded Marian, thinking that she felt uneasy even if she were trying to hide her feelings. "Robin slept for several hours. He awoke and asked about you, Marian. I told him that you went to Sir Edward's grave. As he drank some more herbs from pain, he again fell asleep."

Marian sighed with relief. "Thanks to God that Robin was sleeping."

"Marian, please don't leave the camp for such a long time! Robin will go mad if you disappear! You know that he cannot overexcite and strain himself," Much ranted. "And we have to be very careful for Robin's sake. The Sheriff and Gisborne shouldn't know that Robin survived. It can be very dangerous for him, for now he cannot defend himself and someone should always be with him."

"I know that we must be careful," Marian confirmed with a slight nod. "I know that Robin wants to stay dead until the King's return, and I agree with his strategy. In this way, he will have time to recuperate and become physically stronger."

"Robin needs three-four months more to recover," Djaq opined, making an expert estimate of the situation. She was still in awe that Robin had survived at all, for she didn't expect him to win the fight with death. "Maybe even six months in this cold climate."

"The most important thing is that Robin is alive," Marian said meaningfully. "I don't care how much time Robin needs to recover. He has his whole life."

The outlaws nodded wordlessly at her. The fact of Robin's survival was a sheer miracle; the outlaws were happy that the life of their leader was no longer in grave danger and that he was recovering.

"Marian, what happened?" Will watched her with an intensive and scrupulous gaze, and he noticed some intriguing things that the other people didn't notice or didn't wish to speak about. "Why did you take Robin's bow and his quiver full of arrows?"

The outlaws looked at Marian with suspicion. Little John shook his head as if in bewilderment. Allan's expression evolved into curiosity and then into alarm. Much looked more anxious than before. Only Will and Djaq were calm and composed.

Suddenly, Marian shook her head and seemed to become almost angry. "Why do you need to know everything what I am doing? May I have at least some privacy in my life?"

"Of course, you can," Djaq said shortly, feeling uncomfortable.

When Marian lived in the forest for the first time after her father's death, she wasn't accustomed to the lifestyle of the outlaws in the forest. She missed her life at the Knighton Hall and even at the castle, and her only consolation was that she was together with her beloved Robin. She didn't have close relations with the outlaws, though Little John tried to play the role of a fatherly figure for her. But she managed to find pleasantries of the lifestyle in the woods during the past three weeks since their return to Nottingham from the Holy Land, and she got on well with everyone.

"I am sorry." Marian ran her eyes over the small group of the people, and her eyes were full of remorse and apology. "You see that I am alright." She dragged a deep breath. "I had to take care of some things. Very important things."

"We don't accuse you, Maz. We are just worried," Will said soothingly.

Marian nodded. "Thank you for your concern. You are most kind."

"Did you go to Locksley?" Allan asked directly.

"I did," Marian said shortly. Her words were full of profound sorrow, and her friends felt a certain knotty lump rising in their throats.

A murderous silence stretched between them. They looked at her bow, then at her face, each of them having the same question in their minds – the reason for Marian's visit to Locksley.

"Why did you go to Locksley, Marian?" Robin's voice coursed through the chilly air. He awoke from his restless sleep some time ago, but he lay on his bunk, waiting for Marian. As she didn't come, he rose to his feet and went outside; he was lucky to overhear some of their conversation.

Roibn felt his heart pounding harder and harder. He was confused, anxious, alarmed, bewildered, and shocked to the core that Marian had come to Gisborne. He feared that Guy would again try to kill her and he would be unable to save her this time. Robin also was angry that she was reckless and broke her promise to him to never go to Locksley until the King's return, especially alone and unprotected. And he feared that she was still stirred by Gisborne, even despite the fact that the man had tried to kill her and almost killed him twice.

Marian smiled tightly. "I needed to see Gisborne," she said tensely. She stopped referring to Guy as Guy or Sir Guy since the day of the regicide in Imuiz, when Gisborne had almost taken Robin's life.

At that moment, Marian finally realized that she had killed Guy. On the way from Locksley back to the outlaws camp, she still couldn't believe that she had become a murderess, that she had killed Guy not in a fair fight but almost in cold blood. Her stomach clenched and she felt like screaming aloud as the voice in the back of her head told her that she had taken a life of a human being. She had only one justification for her actions: she killed Guy for Robin, for she had to keep Robin safe.

Much gaped in amazement. "Marian, how can you go to Locksley? How can you meet with Gisborne after what he did to Robin, your husband? This man is a murderer! He is the lowest scum in the world! He is the traitor who tried to kill King Richard and almost killed our Robin twice! This man is–"

Robin cut Much off sharply. "Much, please stop." He shut his eyes as black fury coursed through him. Then his eyes fluttered open, and he stared at Marian, his blue eyes full of pain and worry. "Why did you go to Gisborne, Marian? We have decided that you and I will stay hidden until the King's return. You were not supposed to contact Gisborne again – never ever again."

"Indeed, I broke my word to you, but I had important reasons," Marian replied sternly.

Marian feared to say that she had killed Guy. She couldn't say those words aloud, for the truth was horrible in her perception. She glanced at Robin, whose expression turned into displeasure and suspicion, and she knew that she had to reveal the truth. But if Robin was suspicious, then she feared to learn what the others thought of her. They probably thought that she went to Locksley to have a date with Guy, and it infuriated her.

She took a deep breath. She wanted to tell them everything right now. She wanted to blurt it out and the rest be damned, but Robin's next actions and words stopped her as cold as if he had shot an arrow through her heart. Without a word or a change of expression, Robin approached her and turned to himself. Their eyes locked, and she saw something wild and dark in his eyes, which were so beautiful but so full of awful storm and darkness.

Robin smirked. "Did you miss Gisborne so much that you went to my manor to meet with him?" His voice was cold, his expression sardonic and haughty.

Marian stared at him openmouthed, shaking her head in amazement. If Robin was jealous to Guy, then he was a complete fool. She despised and hated Gisborne since his blade penetrated Robin's flesh in Acre and then he ran away on the Sheriff's horse as a coward, gloating over the demise of his mortal enemy together with Vaisey. Her anger burned hotter, and a dark, destructive need for release of her anger flared up in her blood. But she fought with herself to stay calm and not to quarrel with Robin for the sake of his health and composure.

* * *

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Marian came back to the camp. Of course, she needs some time to realize what she had just done. It is not easy to kill someone for the first time in her life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Marian felt the world spinning around her as she stared into her husband's cold eyes. And then hot anger boiled in her blood. She scowled at Robin. She would have slapped him hard across his smug face if he weren't so physically weak. She said to herself that she would have ample time to take her anger out on Robin later, when he recovered, but now she had to control her temper and be gentle.

"Robin, spare me your sarcastic barbs and your jealousy," Marian retorted in a soft voice that was edged only slightly with a note of displeasure. "I met Kate, a potter girl from Locksley on the edge of the woods, near the hill in Locksley, where we buried my father." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "She told me that she overheard Gisborne's conversation with one of his men. They had a dangerous plan to capture us."

Marian's announcement drew a grasp of amazement from the outlaws, but they remained silent, watching Marian and Robin's exchange.

Robin's expression softened. "What did Kate tell you?" His delicate golden brows came together when he saw fear in Marian's eyes; he stepped forward and stopped near Marian.

"Kate heard that Gisborne was going to take a large army – three hundred guards – and find all of us in the woods. Someone of their spies saw Allan, Will, and Djaq in Clun and reported to the Sheriff," Marian responded truthfully. She rubbed her finger across her cheek, attempting to calm the fury that still boiled, for it was beneath the very surface of her skin. "Gisborne also spoke about my fate."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "What did this bastard say about you?"

"Gisborne wanted to take me under his protection after they found the camp and arrested all of us," Marian continued, her heart beating faster and faster. "He planned to take me to the altar by force." She sighed. "He planned to do the same in Acre after they killed the King; of course, all his plans were ruined… after he… wounded you, Robin."

"Bloody bastard," Little John growled. He had always despised Gisborne.

"Damn Gisborne! Damn him!" Robin hissed between clenched teeth. He let out a curse and then another one; then he released a sequence of the most unintelligible curses the outlaws, except Much, have ever heard from Robin. "This man has no conscience, no heart, and no soul. If I could fight right now, I would go to the Locksley Manor and kill him!"

"Robin, calm down. You have to stay calm," Djaq said as she rose to her feet and walked to Robin.

Ignoring Djaq's warning, Robin stared at Marian, his eyes darkening in rage. "Gisborne will never have you, Marian!" He scanned his friends, casting an accusing glance at him; he clenched and unclenched his fists. "I should have killed Gisborne in the woods on the day when I saw the black-wolf tattoo on his forearm! I should have killed him before he tried to kill the King in Acre, almost killed Marian, and then sent me to the pits of hell for so many months."

"Robin, you no longer need to kill him," Marian whispered frantically. "I went to Locksley for you – I needed to keep you safe from him." Tears stung her eyes, and she swallowed heavily, but her throat felt tight. "I couldn't allow him to find out that you are alive and then kill you, to take you away from me again." Her entire body trembled. "I couldn't allow him to hunt you down and kill you."

Marian looked at Robin's bow that she put on the ground after Will had remarked that the weapon was in her possession. Robin caught her eye, and he let out a deep, audible sigh. He turned his gaze at her, his eyes full of alarm and fear. Marian looked at him, and she thought that she saw a glimmer of unshed tears beginning to build in Robin's eyes.

"Marian, Gisborne didn't hurt you, did he? If he did something, then I will not hesitate to shoot him from the Locksley hill at the sunrise." Robin stepped towards her, and the nagging pain in his lower abdomen slashed through him. Although his wound had healed, it often still throbbed in pain.

"You shouldn't worry about Gisborne," Marian whispered. Her eyes welled with tears, and her voice sounded choked. "Gisborne is no longer dangerous for us."

"What have you done, Maz?" Allan looked horrified.

"Oh, Marian." Little John didn't know what to say, for he was confused.

Will and Djaq remained quiet. They exchanged uneasy glances, but then nodded at one another.

Much smiled brightly, pleased with the news; he hated Gisborne with murderous hatred. "Oh, Marian! You are a great and strong lady! You wounded Gisborne from Robin's bow! You did a right thing and avenged Robin's wounds from Gisborne!"

"Marian, I didn't expect that, did I?" Robin said that half as a statement and half as a question. Marian's haunted gaze gave him the conﬁrmation he needed; he knew she had killed his mortal foe.

"You don't… understand. Gisborne... will never be a problem… again," Marian stammered, clenching her ﬁngers so tightly in front of her that she felt sure they must snap from the pressure. "There is no Gisborne, and now there is no more Guy of Gisborne." Her expression went blank, then turned regretful and horrified. She blinked back her tears. "I killed Gisborne. He is dead."

A long, dead silence greeted Marian. The outlaws were shocked. Even Much was silent. They felt that it was their duty to leave Marian and Robin together. They scrambled to their feet and walked away; Allan, Will and Djaq headed to the woods, while Much and Little John tactfully stepped aside.

She felt every muscle in her body tightening, and she gritted her teeth. She shut her eyes, trying to conquer her emotions, but she miserably failed. Just as she attempted to muster enough energy to open her eyes, she instinctively felt that Robin moved towards her. Surprise blossomed to puzzlement when she felt him enfold her into his arms. Marian could no longer beat her tears back, and she let herself cry in Robin's embrace, light and not tight at all. She was reveling in the warmth emanating from him, in the sensation of his arms around her, his heart beating firm and steady against her breast. She wept her fears and guilt in his arms, luxuriating in the sensation of his proximity and in the knowledge that God didn't take Robin from her and that he was safe.

"Shhh," Robin whispered, stroking her hair. "My brave, fearless, and amazing Marian!"

"Robin, I killed a man," Marian groaned in despair.

Robin drew away and looked at her, his expression serious, his eyes full of concern and love. "I know that it is a pretty sickening feeling when you kill for the first time in our life." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "But now you have to forget. What is done is done."

"But I killed him," Marian murmured, still not believing that she had done that.

"I would have killed him myself as soon as I felt better and could fight as well as I could before I was wounded," Robin confessed. "I was planning to do that."

She arched a brow. "You intended to… kill him?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Even before King Richard's return?"

"Precisely," he said firmly.

"Say that you don't hate me for killing him. Say that you are not disappointed in me," Marian almost begged him. "I have become a murderess."

Robin closed his eyes briefly, but when he opened them again, a glistening of tears moistened their depths. "I can never be disappointed in you, Marian. You are unique, and there is nobody like you."

Marian gazed deep into the blue depths of his eyes, yearning to see something there, a sign of understanding, perhaps, that would let her know that she was not alone in these feelings that had consumed her entire being. And she found what she was looking for – she saw the same remorse in and deep sympathy his eyes. She rejoiced that she wasn't the only one who had nauseous feelings stemming from guilt of cutting taking a life of another human being.

Robin was looking at her with dead eyes. The orange flames from the fire cast a strange red glow on his pale face. His eyes were moist with tears and there was utter, nearly cosmic sadness in his gaze, the deep feelings of remorse and guilt which he had felt for taking so many lives of the Saracens in the Holy Land. He had so many scars on his heart, emotional scars from the horrors he had seen and the things he had done to protect the King, but he never talked about them to Marian. Only today, for the first time in his life, he was ready to nude his soul for her.

She had never talked to Robin about the war, for he had always avoided this topic. If she had asked him to tell her some war stories, he had always shunned her out of his inner world, not wishing to share with her the war horrors he had survived through in the Holy Land. But she had often seen sadness and regret in his eyes when he had spoken about going to the war in the context of losing so many years with her; yet, she had never seen as much grief in his gaze as she observed now.

"In the Holy Land, I killed many people, too many people," Robin said sadly, feeling numbness overcoming him. He let out a sharp intake of breath, so deep that he had painful sensation in his stomach. "And when I killed the first Saracen in my first bloody battle, I felt that a part of my heart died and I became a different man."

She saw him close his eyes and watched as a single tear spilled from beneath his each of his eyelids to roll down his cheeks. After a moment, his eyes flung open again to meet her gaze straight.

"And how did you cope?" Her voice was quiet and hollow.

"I got accustomed to killing my enemies because it was the only way to survive and protect the King," Robin said, lowering his eyes and looking at the ground. With a growl of grief and pain, he pulled her into his embrace, gripping her chin in one palm and forcing her to meet his gaze. "And I killed not only for the King and England, but also for the chance to stay alive and come back home."

Her eyes never left his face. "And you remained alive – you returned to Nottingham."

Robin sighed deeply. "Marian, I spoke of my mission to stay alive in the Holy Land because I wanted to live and come back home to you," he said in a silken tone. Tears were streaming down his face. "I had two missions – to protect the King, whom I am loyal to, and to stay alive for you." He blinked once. "I knew that you could have already been married, but I wanted to have a chance to see you once more, at least one time in my life."

"Oh, Robin!" She felt hot tears trickling down her cheeks. "Robin, my Robin."

Marian's heart thundered in her chest as Robin leaned closer to her. He slid his hands down her back, stopping at her waist, and it was all he could do not to pull her closer, not tightly to himself but still close enough, in order not to hurt himself and not to make an awkward movement; they had been very cautious with their embraces and intimacies in the past weeks, for sharp and intensive movements were still painful for him.

Robin held back, thankful to God for the possibility to have such a small act of intimacy with Marian. He knew that they would consummate their marriage later, once he recovered and was physically strong enough to make love to her, but he still wanted to feel her as close to him as possible. Since Robin had emerged from his slumber in Acre, they slept together on the same bed, but not in each other's arms to avoid hurting Robin; she usually lay near him, taking his hand in hers, her head resting on the pillow or on his shoulder.

Robin was watching her with his keen blue eyes; he knew that he had to say another thing to ease her fears and help her overcome the crisis in the aftermath of Guy's death. "Marian, I understand you wanted to keep me safe, and I am deeply grateful for that; I am even more touched." He blinked, his lashes casting black shadows against the pallor of his skin. "I would have killed anyone for you. I would have died for you as well, and that's why… I saved you in Acre from Gisborne."

"Robin, I love you," Marian murmured, silent tears spilling down her face. She glided her hands up his chest and over his shoulders to tangle in his hair. "I killed him for you, Robin. I couldn't let him find you and harm you." She swallowed her sobs. "I would not survive if you died."

"I love you, my Marian," Robin whispered, pulling her into his arms; he did everything careful, for he still had to restrict his movements. "More than life itself and for all eternity, I vow that I love you." He brushed his lips across hers, his heart thundering in his chest.

They loved each other, deeply, sincerely, and unconditionally. Their love was stronger than hatred, pain, regret, and anguish. Their love was stronger than death.

* * *

Please read and review.

Robin helps Marian to overcome her emotional crisis. I think it looks quite natural. What do you think about the scene?

I really understand why Marian killed Gisborne. Guy committed so many mistakes in his life and was guilty of so many heinous crimes, that I wouldn't have blamed Marian or Robin if they had killed Gisborne. If we suppose that Guy had almost killed Robin in Acre and Robin barely survived, then it is quite obvious that Marian will do everything to keep Robin safe.

Should I continue?


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